Ben Guite had played 455 minor league hockey games and just one National Hockey League game.

But the former University of Maine winger didn’t get discouraged and is reaping the benefits now.

Guite is a checking-line center and penalty killer for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. He has a goal and seven assists in 27 games.

“I never thought about doing anything else,” said the 6-foot-1, 211-pound Guite. “I was playing hockey for a living, I was making a decent salary, and I didn’t have to work summers. I love playing the game.”

He added that he’s happy to be in the NHL, “but it would be nice to make the playoffs.”

Colorado is eight points out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth.

“I’d like to be more productive offensively. But I have my role here. I’ve always made my mark as a penalty-killer and someone who can win faceoffs,” said Guite. “You don’t get a lot of glory doing it, but every team needs one. Fortunately, they didn’t have one in the organization, so I got the call.”

Colorado assistant coach Tony Granato said Guite has been consistent.

“He brings a lot of energy to the team and has done a nice job on the penalty kill. He plays like an experienced guy even though he hasn’t played that many games at the NHL level. He has been a real nice addition to our hockey club,” Granato said.

The 28-year-old Guite, a seventh-round draft pick of Montreal in 1997, makes $450,000 a year in the NHL and is averaging 12 minutes, 19 seconds of playing time a game. He has been centering a line between Mark Rycroft and Scott Parker.

“Sometimes they’ll skip our line [when they rotate the lines] in five-on-five situations. Sometimes they’ll plug me into another line,” said Guite, a Montreal native who also provides a physical presence. “Ice time is ice time. I try to make the most of it and play the best I can.”

He called Denver a beautiful city and said his teammates are great guys who have made him feel at home. He also thinks highly of the coaching staff and likes the fact they have shown enough confidence in him “to put me out there in key situations.”

Guite has spent his summers in Orono, working toward his MBA (Masters in Business Administration) and instructing at the University of Maine hockey clinics.

“I love going back there in the summers. The campus is empty. It’s like my own little playground. It brings back a lot of good memories. I enjoy working with the kids and I get the opportunity to take classes,” said Guite, who keeps in touch with his Black Bear teammates.

One of his Avalanche teammates is defenseman Brett Clark, who played one year at Maine, the year before Guite arrived.

“He’s having a great year,” said Guite, who had 47 goals and 49 assists in 146 career games at Maine and was on the 1998-99 NCAA championship team.

Guite will return to Maine for another reason this summer: he’s marrying Portland native Kristen Leo on June 30 in her hometown.